To forget for a moment only

As a general rule, the freedom of any people can be judged by the volume of their laughter.-(Anonymous).

There is a show on television. A vibrant show they say, but also a show full of bloopers. Since the host of the show herself admits she is just being herself I find it unwinding to watch it whenever I can. People who are invited on her show have to succumb to humility and humour, no matter how much it cramps their style. It's easy to laugh and be laughed at when your host is comfortable with life's imperfections.

It was only a decade ago, give or take a couple of years, that we used to be a calm society. Peace loving, with a few people ever having seen a gun, let alone used one. Where Kerosene Oil was used to cook food and not people. Where evenings were spent either sitting in the lawn having tea and samosas, or taking a long walk. Every house had electricity and generators were unknown and mostly looked down upon luxury. The elite had one in their homes for the surprise breakdown that resulted from a major storm that took trees, poles and even animals by surprise. We rarely, if never, locked the kitchen door. Fifty-Fifty was the height of humour (and still is). And children went to school to study, slept in the afternoons and played in the evenings. Homework was minimal but we turned out intelligent enough. Tuition was for the cousin who was going to barely do his Matric and competition was a healthy word that was used to outrun a friend in a race.